February 08, 2009
Do you beee-LEEAVE in love, etc.?
I think it's funny how the internets have become aware of the so-called "Auto-Tune phenomenon" in recent months, primarily due to Cher, T-Pain & Kanye, I guess:
The three dudes above (and MANY others, from what I hears on the ol' timey radio) are using the software to create a kind of faux-vocoded sound, which has become a pretty trite pop production trick over the years. The thing that strikes me is that I can't think of another software plug-in that has ever become known by name and referenced everywhere from the New Yorker to Giz to the Washington Post. Antares (developers of Auto-Tune) even capitalized on this press saturation by introducing a stripped-down version of AT that offers none of it's subtleties, just the T-Pain robot wackiness. They basically took a scalpel and marketed it as an axe. Which is fine, if that's what yr looking for (although I can guarantee a production backlash within less than a year).
I remember Pro Tools getting lots of attention as the analog vs. digital wars were fought in the 90's, but that's a DAW, and was often referenced not as a specific instrument or tool, but rather as a method, i.e "That song sounded sooo Pro-Tooled." I wonder if other nearly-ubiquitous, but as yet nameless software plug-ins will have their fifteen minutes of fame at some point in the future. Like the abundance of beat-repeat/instant glitch plugs - they've already become a serious cliche in the electronic music world, but what happens when Kanye gets his stutter on?
Hm. Interesting stuff, at least to me. It's weird when the tools get the spotlight, as opposed to the artist, or the art - see: Photoshop.
Anyway, I fixed the blog - gave up on a Moveable Type 4 upgrade. Ain't broke, don't fix, etc.
YR FRIEND,
DANA
posted by dana at 12:50 PM | Comments (1)
December 30, 2008
Do it if you feel it.
I get a virtual shit-ton of donation requests at the end of the e-year, but I got to thinking about how much I use Ye Olde Wiki and although every appeal has merits, this seemed worthy of what teeny tiny moneys I could muster. How internets of me.
XOX&HNY,
DANER
posted by dana at 11:50 PM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2008
Just checking.
XOX
YR FRIEND
DANA
posted by dana at 11:14 PM | Comments (1)
I do like this
Bars & Tones from André F. Chocron on Vimeo.
via Elias. Thanks man. Penguin Cafe Orch is good musics.
X
D
posted by dana at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2008
Kid wrecks it.
Check this little lovable geek out:
Via The Grip
Could this be Jack in two years time? We'll see...
XO
D
posted by dana at 09:12 PM | Comments (0)
December 18, 2008
They Boldly Went
Holy. Crap. Turkish. Star. Trek.
Via the excellent IO9
Dear God - My mind! Rich and Andi, if yr out there, this one's for you...
XO
D
posted by dana at 08:34 AM | Comments (1)
December 14, 2008
Size 10's
XO
D
posted by dana at 05:30 PM | Comments (2)
December 12, 2008
Rest, Bettie.
RIP Bettie Page 1923-2008.
Here's to hotness. We need more hotness in this world.
Wait, maybe that's just me.
Jeez,
DANER
posted by dana at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)
December 10, 2008
What's right.
Huckabee strikes me as one of the more dangerous political entities on the right, in that he is so carefully measured and "likeable". He has the folksy, common-sense Reagan-esque vibe down pat, yet is clearly quick-witted and thoughtful... and that makes his views on social conservatism all the more terrifying (to me at least). Check it, however: Righteous articulation does not impede what's right. I was captivated by this interview:
Go Jon.
Listen, I know this blog has basically become a tumbleog, but I don't mind so much... I guess I just wish I had more time and energy to write things of actual merit and/or value and/or meaning.
Whatevs - On with the comedy jokes and Ye Olde Tube vids. I guess I've always been a brain-dead recycler.
X
D
posted by dana at 11:38 PM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2008
Fully J'd in my P when I saw this
So so happy to see Jorma & Akiva in this. Easily the best Digital Short next to Lazy Sunday (maybe D in a B):
More comedy jokes,
YR BEST FRIEND
DANA
posted by dana at 11:49 PM | Comments (1)
November 27, 2008
Thanks
XO
DANER
posted by dana at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)
November 22, 2008
Stars fall from the sky
Here's a vid of a meteorite that fell in Western Canada on Thursday - awesomely awesome cool.
(via io9.com)
YR FRIEND,
DANER
posted by dana at 11:28 AM | Comments (1)
November 19, 2008
Um...
More priceless "journalism" from Bill-O. I'm, uh, speechless:
Thoughts on this, you secular-progressive-dope-fiend-abortion-loving-hippy-freeloaders?
XO
DANA
posted by dana at 08:43 AM | Comments (1)
November 13, 2008
Sweet
(Photo by Time photographer Callie Shell - found it here via Fecal Face.)
XO
DANA
posted by dana at 09:17 AM | Comments (1)
November 07, 2008
"We just weren't allowed to say that during the election..."
Laffs!
XO
D
posted by dana at 09:08 AM | Comments (1)
November 03, 2008
Tomorrow.
Unbelievable waves of semi-manic anxiety and anticipation are making it difficult to do anything other than ramble incoherently to friends and relatives about voting. So I'll keep this short, then move on to wine and Mad Men in an attempt to NOT think about Florida.
I went with my fam and friends to see Barack Obama speak in Reno last weekend - it was very early in the morning and rapidly went from desert cold to desert hot, then desert rad as Obama took the stage.
The rally was very similar in tone and content to the one's he been at in this final week. He thanked the audience for their thoughts and prayers for his grandmother's health, this being his first public appearance since traveling to Hawaii to be with her. Update: Just found out today that she has passed away, so tragic that she won't see her grandson take the oath... Overall, he was gracious and lucid and in good humor, even when the power went out on stage briefly - he joked about the economy being so bad that they couldn't pay the power bill or, "Is there a McCain supporter backstage flipping the switch off?" The result was that we left with what my buddy Lee called, "The Barack Buzz". Dude is truly a rock star, albeit a humble and articulate one:
Here's to hope. And here's to the wish that we'll have something to celebrate tomorrow.
LOVE,
YOUR FRIEND DANA
posted by dana at 07:36 PM | Comments (1)
November 01, 2008
My friends, my friends...
(via Kilgore Trout)
XOX
DANA
posted by dana at 03:27 PM | Comments (1)
October 31, 2008
Holy crap, I'm in love
Suzi Quatro.
Admittedly, I'm a sucker for cute little tough girls who play bass and sing like they eat whiskey and drink broken glass, but jeez.
With cheers to Nathan who got me started on a Ye Olde Tube/Suzi carousal.
XOX
DANA
posted by dana at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)
October 23, 2008
Yeah, it's a bummer.
(via Fecal Face)
Warning: do NOT watch this if you are currently suffering from severe pre-election anxiety or depression!
Whatevs. I'm still hopeful that this represents just a small fragment of our society. I have to believe that in order to maintain any objective sense of reality right now.
XO
DANA
PS. Jack & I are back from Reno - volunteering was awesome, the Jo show was great, and we had a great time canvassing - only had a few dust-ups with haters. Pics and more later.
posted by dana at 12:01 PM | Comments (0)
October 19, 2008
Going to NV
Jack & I are heading to the BATTLEGROUND state of NV tomorrow to canvass for the Obama campaign! BATTLE-stoked. And Jack is too, it's crazy - my nine-year-old son wants to talk politics constantly. He's really fascinated with the candidates and their differences.
(Plus getting a few days off from school is kinda cool.)
Anyway, I'm proud of him and glad to have the time to help out. We're going straight to a venue somewhere in Reno to do the sound for a campaign concert event - a fundraiser I think? Joanna Newsom is playing - will rule it just a little bit? You betcha. Then we'll spend the next couple of days canvassing door-to-door, which will rule as well.
Oh, and speaking of RULING:
Eloquent, impassioned, enlightened - this is my favorite endorsement thus far...
More soon...
D
posted by dana at 09:39 PM | Comments (1)
October 17, 2008
Whoa. Whoa.
I actually love our next President. He's a funnyman!
XO
DANER
posted by dana at 03:52 PM | Comments (1)
September 19, 2008
Killing it.
Battles, man, Battles!
I want to start a band again.
xo
DANA
posted by dana at 08:19 AM | Comments (1)
